Rashad Slye pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed Friday in connection with the 2011 shooting death of 40-year-old cab driver, Domingo Ezirike.
Slye will likely get 17 years in prison for Ezirike’s death, under an agreement with prosecutors.
Police found Ezirike on October 22, 2011 around 4:00 a.m. dead in the 4300 block of Ponds St. Northeast. The next day Slye, 23, was arrested and charged with first-degree felony murder while armed in Ezirike’s death.
Plea documents state that around 2:50 a.m. the day of the murder, Slye was with a friend at the Morgan Boulevard Metro station in Landover, Md. waiting for a cab. Ezirike stopped to pick the two men up in his cab, and Slye asked Ezirike to take them to Ponds St. Northeast, court documents state.
Ezirike asked for $20 to take them into DC, and Slye’s friend handed Ezirike the money, documents state.
While in the cab Slye asked Ezirike to turn on the heat and the radio, but he refused. Slye then got into a heated argument with Ezirike, but Slye’s friend asked him to stop arguing, court documents state.
As they drove by a police station on Quarles St. Northeast, the cab was stopped by a detective who told Slye to fasten his seat belt, documents state.
When the cab arrived at Ponds Street, Ezirike asked for an additional $7.75. Slye’s friend gave Ezirike $5.00 and Slye gave him $2.00, plea documents state. But Ezirike insisted on getting 75 more cents for the remainder of the fare, documents state.
Slye’s friend got out of the cab, urged him to get out too, and then walked toward a residence on the 1500 block on Anacostia Avenue Northweast, plea documents state.
Slye continued to argue with Ezirike over the fare, demanding that he give the money back. Slye got out of the car, pulled out a silver 9mm handgun and told Ezirike to lay on the ground, then hit Ezirike in the head with the gun, court documents state.
Ezirike pleaded with Slye saying, “If I had money, I’d give it to you,” court documents state.
Searching for money, Slye took Ezirike’s clothes off, and also began searching the cab’s front passenger compartment while still holding Ezirike on the ground, documents state.
Unable to find any money, Slye demanded to know where Ezirike kept his money, then told Ezirike to get back in the cab. As Ezirike sat in the cab’s driver’s seat, Slye shot him then fled, plea documents state.
An autopsy found that Ezirike died from one gunshot to the body, and his death was ruled a homicide.
The case is scheduled for sentencing on April 4 with Judge Jennifer Anderson.
Plea documents are below.
